The Eagles signed Mike Vick to a two-year deal according to ESPN. Absolutely stunning; I’m in disbelief really.
Terms of the deal haven’t been announced but you’d have to assume they will be shortly.
I hate this move…absolutely hate it. I laughed when I first heard the rumors he may be coming here, but now that it is true I am in shock.
First things first, you need to think about what a huge distraction this is going to be for the team. Camp may be over, but you can assume every player on the roster will be asked how they feel about this at some point. It’d be like if the Phillies traded for Milton Bradley at the deadline: it’s an unnecessary risk by a team that was already set to be a playoff contender.
The Eagles just got worse in more ways than one.
Does this really make the Eagles better? How will Vick be used? We don’t need another QB (unless Kevin Kolb’s injury is worse than reported.) You want to put him at receiver? He’s just going to steal reps from Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. We all saw how well the Eagles ran the Wildcat last year, and it wasn’t pretty.
Then there are the questions surrounding his playing ability, which is a complete question mark. How his body will respond after being in prison for a couple years is entirely unpredictable. He wasn’t even a good passing quarterback before the dog fighting charges came to light, with a career 75.7 QB rating. I just fail to see how he fits on this roster, and if you are signing him just to be a backup then it isn’t worth the controversy and the increased media attention.
This is all without getting into what he did to end up in prison in the first place. Any human being who can torture an innocent animal has issues, and I see nothing in Vick’s demeanor that tells me he’s changed at all. Since the American public has the memory of a two year old, here’s a recap of what Vick did to his dogs…
“John Goodwin of the Humane Society said the manner in which losing or unwilling dogs were killed was especially troubling.
‘Some of the grisly details in these filings shocked even me, and I’m a person who faces this stuff every day,’ he said. ‘I was surprised to see that they were killing dogs by hanging them and one dog was killed by slamming it to the ground. Those are extremely violent methods of execution — they’re unnecessary and just sick.’
…In March 2003, after a pit bull from Bad Newz Kennels lost in a fight, it said Peace consulted with Vick about the losing dog’s condition, then executed it by wetting it with water and electrocuting it.”
I’ll refrain from posting the pictures here; they’re just too disturbing.
You can say whatever you want about how he did his time and deserves a second chance: that’s fine, but it shouldn’t have been in Philadelphia. He doesn’t fill a need on offense, and he will be a massive distraction for a team that was already well-stocked with playmakers on that side of the ball. We don’t need his lacking abilities, his attitude, or his baggage.
I hate this move: it makes me sick to my stomach. The Eagles just got worse not only on the field, but off it as well.
